1-4. Frédéric ChopinStudy n°5 for the left hand alone on étude Op.10 n°3Study n°13 for the left hand alone on étude Op.10 n°6Study n°34 on étude Op.25 n°5 (2nd version in form of a Mazurka)Study n°45 on étude n°2 from Trois nouvelles études (1st version)

Laurent Wagschal

Chopin/Godowsky - Study n°5 for the left hand alone on étude Op.10 n°3

Godowsky was one of the great piano transcribers and this is a cleverly programmed bran tub which picks some of the best … there is so much to admire about Wagschal’s grasp of and complete empathy with the genre that comparisons become irrelevant. His handling of Godowsky’s multi-layered voices is masterly and the variety of tone and touch he brings to the Schumann, Albéniz, Saint-Saëns and six Schubert transcriptions is most sensitively judged. He both charms and swaggers in Wein, Weib und Gesang (uncut, unlike Cherkassky’s classic account); here and in The Star-Spangled Banner he is not afraid to unleash the full resources of his well-recorded piano. Altogether, 76 minutes of hyphenated Godowsky pass very quickly indeed in the hands of this gifted pianist. Jeremy Nicholas / Gramophone, Oct 2016

It takes a very special pianist to bring this out … you can hear the way that he [Wagschal] looks at these pieces with a lot more insight than just a pianistic virtuosity, he really penetrates them as a musician first and a pianist second, and I think that’s what makes it successful … I loved it, he really does take us on a journey … it’s a real overview of all Godowsky’s transcriptions rather than just concentrating on one aspect of them. Lucy Parham / BBC Radio 3 Record Review Nov 2016

Laurent Wagschal plays them with clarity and definition – which is admirable.Nicholas Kenyon /The Guardian